DEFEND RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, ENCOURAGE DIALOGUE AND TOLERANCE

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2001 (VIS) - The Pope today received the bishops of Pakistan as they ended their "ad limina" visit, and told them that such visits are "a significant and enriching moment for the Successor of Peter" who can "spend time in prayer and fraternal reflection regarding (the bishops') joys and hopes, their griefs and sorrows."

Bishops, he said, must be concerned not only about their own dioceses but also "about the Church at the national and universal levels." He suggested that the bishops in Pakistan "strengthen cooperation at the level of your episcopal conference," and said that "in particular a permanent secretariat and a more stable arrangement for the conference's meeting would perhaps be helpful."

The Holy Father thanked the priests of Pakistan for their ministry, noting that "the Christian community is a small flock living in the midst of a large Muslim majority." He said: "I know the often difficult circumstances of their ministry. ... I rejoice that the number of vocations continues to rise in Pakistan."

"The laity too," the Pope continued, "should be encouraged to play a fuller and more visible part in the Church's mission." He expressed his gratitude to the religious and lay catechists for their dedication and "encouraged them to make full use of the Catechism of the Catholic Church."

"We should not overlook the fact," affirmed John Paul II, "that faith is transmitted in the first place in the home. For this reason the family, ... the domestic Church, ... must be one of the priorities of your pastoral planning," as must be "the pastoral care of young people." He told the bishops to "encourage and support young people, to ensure that they are mature enough, humanly and spiritually to assume an active role in the Church and in society."

"Catholic schools," he noted, "are widely recognized in Pakistan for the high quality of their teaching and for the human values they inculcate. Since students of all religious traditions attend these schools, their part in promoting a climate of dialogue and tolerance cannot be underestimated and constitutes a serious challenge for the Catholic community."

Turning to the subject of interreligious dialogue, the Pope called it "an essential feature of (the bishops') pastoral mission. ... Dialogue does not imply abandonment of one's own principles, nor should it lead to a false irenicism. Rather, in fidelity to our own religious traditions and convictions, we must be open to understanding those of the followers of other religions in a spirit of humility and frankness."

"Pakistani culture recognizes and defends the place of God in public life. This fact should make it possible for the followers of various religions to work together in order to defend the inestimable dignity of every man and woman from conception to natural death and to build a society in which the inalienable rights of all are respected and protected, especially the right to life." Yet, the Pope noted, "it is unfortunately still the case that many of your people are enduring hardships for their fidelity to Christ. They are sometimes regarded with suspicion and feel that they are not treated as full citizens of their own country, especially in the face of laws which do not sufficiently respect the religious freedom of minorities."

In concluding comments, the Holy Father lauded the courage of the Pakistani bishops in defending religious freedom and he encouraged their "efforts to ensure that a spirit of mutual tolerance and respect prevails."

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PROMOTE A CULTURE OPEN TO ALL SOCIAL CLASSES

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2001 (VIS) - This morning the Holy Father received the new ambassador of Mexico, Fernando Estrada Samano, on the occasion of the presentation of his Letters of Credence.

In his discourse, the Pope recalled that Mexico lives "a process of political maturation, which, through profound changes in numerous aspects of the social life, aspires to overcome the structural causes of poverty and marginalization, through a model of integral development founded on social justice. To do this, it is necessary to promote a culture which favors democratic and participatory institutions, founded upon the recognition of human rights and the cultural and spiritual values of the Mexican people."

He noted that globalization has helped some, but has also caused "new forms of impoverishment, marginalization, and even the exclusion of large social groups, in particular peasants and indigenous peoples. For this reason it is necessary that the political and cultural institutions truly place themselves at the service of man, without distinctions of race or social class."

John Paul II affirmed that relations between Church and State in Mexico "are characterized by greater respect and reciprocal cordiality. ... Thus, through a constructive dialogue it is possible to promote the fundamental values of the order and development of the society. In this sense it is time that the integral historical truth of Mexico, from its origins, be analyzed with greater clarity, overcoming prejudices and rejection, conflicts and reductionism."

The Pope emphasized the concern of the Church in Mexico and of Mexicans for the establishment of "a more just order for the indigenous peoples. ... Some, with the goal of protecting the indigenous peoples, have insisted on ideologies based upon a distorted reading of history. Others, on the contrary, have extolled values brought from outside as being the only valid and authentic ones. In the face of this panorama, it is necessary to bring about a purification of memory and assess the mestizos identity - starting with the two cultures which have mingled - which has an enormous future potential if reconciled with itself."

The Holy Father concluded by noting that "it is necessary to promote, without further delay, the value of the dignity of the indigenous peoples. ... With greater self-awareness, it will be possible to strengthen the understanding that all are brothers within the great Mexican family."

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FREQUENT CONFESSION TO RECEIVE CHRIST WITH A PURE HEART

VATICAN CITY, MAY 20, 2001 (VIS) - This morning John Paul II celebrated the Eucharist in the Roman parish of St. Edith Stein, incorporated in the diocese on October 11, 1998, "the day in which I had the joy," the Pope said, "to proclaim as a saint the daughter of Israel and Carmelite martyr Edith Stein, whom you invoke as your special patroness."

After thanking the faithful for their best wishes for his 81st birthday on May 18, the Holy Father said: "I trust that you wish to continue praying for me, in order that I may carry out the ministry that has been entrusted to me in total adherence to the designs of Divine providence."

The Pope particularly addressed the children who received their First Holy Communion during the Mass and invited them, as well as all the children receiving First Communion this year, to "seek frequently the sacrament of Confession, so that the encounter with Jesus present in the Eucharist occurs with a heart which is pure and open to the action of grace."

Speaking then of St. Edith Stein, John Paul II said that "there is also much to learn from this great contemporary saint about the life of a community such as yours, which desires to be faithful to its missionary vocation." In this light, the Pope recalled the pastoral initiative "of the monthly letter to Christians, which is delivered to all the families, to help them prepare themselves with adequate catechesis for the principal liturgical celebrations of the year."

"Together with you, I also entrust to the Lord the People's Mission which you have planned for the upcoming month of October. It will be a mission directed especially to youth. ... I sincerely hope that, through the mission and thanks to everyone's prayers, the young can encounter Christ in their life, allow Him to speak to their hearts and decide to follow Him."

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EUCHARISTIC CELEBRATION WITH THE CARDINALS, TITULAR POSSESSIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2001 (VIS) - On Thursday, May 24, Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord, John Paul II will celebrate Mass in the Vatican Basilica at 10:30 a.m. with the members of the College of Cardinals, on the occasion of the conclusion of the extraordinary consistory.

The Office of Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff also announced that Cardinal Ignacio Antonio Velasco Garcia, S.D.B., metropolitan archbishop of Caracas, Venezuela, will take possession of the title of St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello, Piazza Salvatore Galgano, Rome, on May 24, at 6 p.m.

On the same day, Cardinal Karl Lehmann, bishop of Mainz, Federal Republic of Germany, will take possession of the title of St. Leo I, Via Prenestina 104, Rome, at 7 p.m.

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HOLY FATHER WELCOMES MEMBERS OF SOCIETY OF AFRICAN MISSIONS

VATICAN CITY, MAY 19, 2001 (VIS) - On the occasion of their general assembly and the election of their new superior general, members of the Society of African Missions were welcomed this morning by Pope John Paul who encouraged them "to draw abundantly upon the rich spiritual legacy of the Great Jubilee of the Year 2000 as you renew your commitment to mission and evangelization."

He said that "a new millennium has begun in the light of Christ but, as I wrote in my apostolic letter at the close of the Jubilee, 'not everyone can see this light'." He added that, "in a world where there are many lights that distract from and are even contrary to the pure light of Christ, you must always strive to be more like Christ .... so that you may faithfully reflect His light."

The Holy Father encouraged the Society to "continue to promote and nurture missionary vocations" and "to involve the laity in your missionary work" as this "is another essential element in the 'plantatio Ecclesiae' in mission lands."

"In imitation of Our Lord and Master," said John Paul II in closing, "renew your commitment to working with the poor, especially refugees who so urgently need a sign of God's love. Accept the challenge of interreligious dialogue, a path to which the Church must dedicate greater attention in this new millennium. Defend human life at every stage of its existence, from conception to natural death."

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